The strategic thinking skills, clarity, and patience required to win a game of chess can also be applied to the world of finance and investing. Thinking one step ahead and creating a detailed financial plan bring you closer to your ultimate goals of building your wealth. Like a pawn on the chessboard, navigating through many challenges and obstacles to achieve financial success, an investor must have a master plan and effective strategy. You need to be able to advance across the board while protecting your king (you and your family) from your opponents at the same time.

Grandmaster Susan Polgar is one of the top chess players of all time. She won her first chess tournament at age four, was the first woman to win the title of Grandmaster, and at fifteen became the highest-ranked woman player in the world in 1984. From 1996 to 1999 she held the title of Women’s World Chess Champion (click here for complete bio). Susan is the director of SPICE (Susan Polgar Institute for Chess Excellence) at Webster University and head coach of the Webster University chess team, ranked No. 1 in the nation. She has written several books, including Queen of the Kings Game to Chess Tactics for Champions: A step–by-step guide to using tactics and combinations the Polgar way. Douglas Goldstein CFP® is a third-generation financial advisor and president of Profile Investment Services LTD. His grandmother and mother worked on Wall Street as investment advisors and taught him the importance of listening to his clients’ wishes and understanding their needs when he began on Wall Street in 1992. He is a Certified Financial Planner™ practitioner, licensed in multiple countries. A college lecturer and trainer to private bankers, Douglas also writes a weekly newspaper column and hosts a popular weekly personal finance radio show, “Goldstein on Gelt.” He has written several books on personal finance, including Building Wealth in Israel, The Expatriate’s Guide to Handling Money and Taxes, and The Retirement Planning Book.